The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 262: Ch 261: No Skills for You- Part 1

The forest felt endless.

Twisted trees with glowing purple leaves towered over them, blotting out the sky above.

The ground beneath their boots was soft, spongey—unnatural.

Despite walking for nearly an hour, Ethan and the others hadn’t seen anything that resembled a path, a village, or even wildlife.

"I don’t like this. We’ve been walking in circles."

Noah muttered, glancing around.

"We should try using a tracking skill."

Nora suggested.

Orion raised a hand to cast a simple location sweep, but the moment he triggered his skill, the system’s voice echoed in all their minds:

[Authority Level Insufficient. Free-Will Execution Denied.]

A chilling silence followed.

"What the hell? What does that even mean?"

Noah whispered.

Zara froze mid-step.

"Did everyone just—?"

"We all heard it."

Nora confirmed, voice tight.

Only Ethan remained calm. He didn’t even flinch.

His hands stayed buried in his coat pockets as he looked around at the unfamiliar forest.

"Don’t panic."

He said.

Zara turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"That’s easy for you to say. Do you know what’s going on?"

Ethan didn’t answer right away. He seemed to be debating something internally. Then, after a beat, he nodded.

"It’s because this dungeon has an Overlooker."

He said.

"What? What’s that supposed to mean?"

Nora frowned.

Ethan looked away.

"I’ll explain later. For now, just stay alert. Trouble’s coming."

The others fell silent, exchanging worried glances. Orion immediately stepped forward, raising his hands to conjure a protective barrier around the group—

[Authority Level Insufficient. Skill Access Denied.]

The words had barely faded before a sharp whizz split the air.

Ethan’s eyes snapped toward Orion.

"Move!"

He lunged forward, yanking Orion back by the collar just as an arrow slammed into the tree behind them. The bark splintered on impact.

"Ambush!"

Zara shouted.

Noah vanished from his spot, already flanking left through the trees. His body moved with ease, silent and practiced.

While the others scattered into defensive positions, he slipped between shadows and found their attacker—hidden in the undergrowth behind a fallen log.

He didn’t hesitate.

Using the distraction of his teammates, Noah shot forward, kicked the bow from the attacker’s hand, and slammed the figure to the ground with a thud.

Dirt kicked up into the air.

The others hurried over.

The attacker was a soldier—barely older than twenty—with odd gear that looked halfway between a modern combat uniform and fantasy armor.

Sleek, fitted, reinforced with metal plating in strange places.

Nothing they recognized.

Nora crouched beside the fallen man, reaching out carefully to check his pulse. But Ethan grabbed her wrist and yanked her back just in time.

The soldier’s eyes snapped open. His hand shot forward, aiming to grab—

Ethan was faster. He caught the soldier’s wrist mid-air and twisted it behind his back, slamming his chest into the dirt.

"Zara, give me some rope. Now!"

Ethan called.

Zara was already digging through her inventory pouch. She tossed a coil of enchanted rope toward Ethan, who wasted no time tying the soldier down and gagging him.

The group stood in tense silence, surrounding the bound stranger.

"What the hell is this place? First we get system-blocked, then this guy starts shooting at us?"

Noah asked.

Ethan didn’t answer. He just stared at the bound soldier, eyes cold.

______

Meanwhile, deep within the royal palace, Selene stood on the training field, her body tight with tension.

Guards circled her, blades drawn.

"Thank you for volunteering for our evening training, dear guest. I am deeply grateful that you decided to help us out."

Julie stood to the side, arms crossed and expression unreadable when she spoke.

Selene wanted to complain that she did not have a choice in this matter, but she doubted that it would help out in any way.

Especially since no one seemed to care about her opinion over the matter anyway.

The voice in Selene’s head stirred again.

[Do you need help?]

’No.’

A pause.

[You might regret that.]

’Then I’ll regret it. Stay quiet.’

Selene took a slow breath and activated her skill.

"Chains of Subjugation."

Or she tried to.

[Authority Level Insufficient. Skill Activation Denied.]

Selene blinked in disbelief.

"What—?"

The guards didn’t wait.

One of them lunged forward, sword arcing toward her midsection. Selene twisted sideways just in time, the blade barely missing her ribs. She stumbled back, heart pounding.

Julie’s voice rang out, sharp and mocking.

"Is that it? Is this all the ’otherworldly guest’ can do?"

Selene gritted her teeth, fury building—but she didn’t answer.

Another guard moved in.

Selene ducked under the swing, then kicked the attacker back with a sharp jab to the stomach. She didn’t draw her knife this time.

There was no need to escalate things more than they already were. But the pressure was increasing.

A third soldier came at her from the side. Selene spun, dropped low, and used her foot to trip him. He crashed to the ground with a surprised grunt.

Julie didn’t look impressed.

"Don’t hold back now. You’re supposed to be useful."

Selene shot her a glare.

"You want useful? Then stop throwing me into fights just to prove a point."

Julie stepped forward now, drawing her weapon.

"If you can’t even handle this, what good are you?"

Selene’s body shifted automatically into a defensive stance.

She didn’t want to fight Julie.

Not because she couldn’t—but because there was too much riding on keeping the peace.

She was still gathering information. Still figuring out who these people were—and who she could trust.

Julie darted forward. Her blade came down fast.

Selene blocked it with her forearm and twisted, using her opponent’s momentum to shove her off-balance.

She didn’t counterattack. Just backed away.

Julie looked almost... disappointed.

Selene’s eyes narrowed.

"What’s your problem with me?" freewebnoveℓ.com

Julie sheathed her weapon, ignoring the question entirely.

"Training’s done."

Then she turned on her heel and walked away.

Selene watched her leave, blood pumping in her ears.

Something was deeply wrong in this world. She could feel it—like a chain tightening around her neck.

No skills. No authority. Someone—something—was pulling the strings here.

And it wasn’t done yet.